A/N: So here is the next installment~! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nintendo owns Fire Emblem


Everything is the same. It's murky, dull...lifeless. The heart and soul of the forest is now a void of nothingness. It hurts Alita to see something that used to be so vibrant shrouded in despair, and it starts to wear on her. She hasn't been able to discern the flow of time since shadow and mist coat everything, blocking out the sky, sun and moon. Climbing the trees that had enough hand and footholds didn't help either since others towered over. For all she knows, she could have been wandering for weeks. Alita thought she had a clear destination in mind, but with out any sort of marker or directional key she easily becomes lost.

In her wanderings Alita happens across a young woman one day. The woman was alone, from what Alita could tell, and looked slightly distressed. Her hair and wings match that of Reyson, and Alita wonders if they are related. She calls out to grab the heron's attention, moving further into the small clearing that the woman occupies. Startled the woman whirls around, eyes widening and tresses twirling in the movement. She murmurs something to herself that Alita doesn't quite catch, holding her hand over her mouth.

"Are you ok?" Alita asks again, walking a little closer to ensure she can hear whatever the woman has to say. She looks around as if looking for someone before turning her attention back to Alita. "Who are you?" Alita pauses, recognizing the ancient tongue. She thought her knowledge of it would have dwindled away by now, but the lessons from her mother hold fast. "I'm Alita...What's your name?"

The heron woman studies Alita for a moment, trying to determine if she is friend or foe. "I am Leanne. How do you know the ancient tongue? Are you laguz?" Alita nods then shrugs, "My mother taught me when I was younger. But, what are you doing here by yourself?" Leanne has no answer, except to launch into a story of what she can remember. Alita takes in everything, sorting through all the new information as it's revealed. Before she has time to piece the growing puzzle together, she is telling Leanne of her childhood and how she came to be where she is now. It's a freeing experience for Alita, something she did not expect, especially revealing her life story to a practical stranger. Yet, in that short amount of time, Alita feels as if her and Leanne have become good friends.

Later, distant sounds of fighting could be heard, getting closer with each passing minute. "We need to get away from here" Alita urges, quickly getting up and packing away the snacks they had been munching on. "Will we make it?" Leanne questions, looking worriedly in the direction the sounds are coming from. "If not," Alita glances to the tree line Leanne is eyeing while pulling out her knife, "then I will protect you." Leanne looks from the knife to the conviction in Alita's face and nods. Grabbing her hand, Alita pulls Leanne into a sprint as they leave the small clearing and the fighting behind them.

To the girls' misfortune, they come up behind some enemy soldiers. Luckily they haven't been noticed yet, so Alita puts her finger to her lips in the sign for silence and starts backing away with Leanne. Just before the trees conceal them again, a grossly overweight man in clerical robes approach the soldiers and instantly spots the two. "There's one! Get that heron! Make sure no harm comes to her!" he points, the soldiers immediately following his line of sight. Cursing their luck, Alita takes Leanne's hand again and starts running back the way they had come from. Behind them Alita can hear the stomp of boots and the clatter of armor as the soldiers follow, only to be drowned out by the dull thunder of hooves.

Realizing the new threat, Alita and Leanne put on a burst of speed but are soon surrounded by the horsemen. Alita maneuvers Leanne behind her, holding her knife out in front. As soon as the first horseman charges, Alita meet him head on. She ducks under the horse's neck to avoid the swing of a sword, spinning so she doesn't get trampled and lashes out at the leg of the rider. He gives a yell of pain and makes to turn his horse around, but Alita is already engaged with the second who had charged right after the first.

This one goes to stab her with a lance, rearing back and thrusting forward with the weapon. Using the rider's forward momentum against him, Alita twists just enough to grab the lance and pull, effectively dislodging the rider from his horse. While the horse goes galloping off to safety, the rider rolls to his feet, hand still wrapped around the lance. Alita engages in a minor tug of war over the lance, carefully inching her way closer to the man. When he gives a particularly forceful tug Alita flows with it, unbalancing the man and sending him to his back. She follows him down with her knees against his chest, plunging her knife into his neck where the metal of helmet and breastplate separate.

Yanking her knife from the flesh a spurt of blood follows staining the earth. Alita pays no mind, grabbing the lance and turning to face the first rider as he charges at her again. Bracing herself, Alita plants her feet and widens her stance, aiming the lance at the riders groin. Instead, the blade bounces off one of the plates on his thigh and skids to his chest. She has to dodge another sword swipe, but manages to lodge the lance between two plates of his armor, pulling him from the horse. The horse gallops away like the other one did, and the rider is quicker to recover than the other.

Swiping his sword across his body the rider chops the pole of the lance, rendering it useless. Undeterred, Alita takes this chance to run at the man while he is distracted. He pulls the rest of the lance out as soon as Alita gets to him, turning it around to thrust at her. Surprised, Alita gets cut along her side before she can twist out of the way, crying out a the stinging burn. She doesn't have time to check the wound for the sword is already reaching for her.

Alita bends backwards to avoid the swing, gasping as her wound is stretched. Planting her hands on the ground, she flips backward and kicks up catching the rider under the chin. Satisfied with the grunt she hears Alita spins on her hands and kicks out her feet again, managing to know the rider to the side before standing up facing him. Reversing her grip on her knife, Alita lunges towards the rider, slashing across his side just behind the armor, going into a roll to get some distance from him. With a yell of rage the soldier attacks her, attempting to cleave her with his sword. Narrowing her eyes in disgust, Alita dodges to the side then springs at him. She wraps her legs around his neck while gripping his helm. As he staggers for balance, Alita quickly delves the knife into the back of his neck, twisting and pulling up for good measure.

As soon as she feels the body start to collapse, Alita pulls her knife out and jumps to the side. She hisses in pain at her side, pressing her hand to the wound as she looks around for Leanne. She sighs in relief to see her safe before catching movement out of the corner of her eye. Feeling the heat her mother's ring starts to give off, Alita knows that magic is building and it can only be aimed at one thing.

"Leanne! Look out!"

Too late Alita warns as Leanne is struck by the magic. Quickly making it over to Leanne, Alita checks her over only to find her unconscious. Relieved that it's nothing serious Alita looks around for the mage. Spotting movement again she sprints to the area, startling the man. Giving a feral snarl, Alita slits the man's throat, already heading back to Leanne before his body can hit the ground. Around that time, a group of foot soldiers show up flooding the area. Glaring as they arrive, Alita pulls out a vulnerary and clumsily splashes some on her wound, sipping a bit and puts it away. She shudders slightly to feel the wound tingle at the healing, then turns her attention to the soldiers.

Giving one last glance at Leanne to ensure she's ok, Alita unleashes her fury on the beorc soldiers. She used her speed to her advantage, weaving in and out of them, slashing at arms and legs. As tendons were cut, soldiers began dropping their swords or falling to the ground, unable to support the weight of weapon or body. Harsh pants escape Alita when she finishes the last soldier off, attempting to get her breath back. Her respite is short lived as another wave of soldiers show up, followed by the man from before.

"Come on girl, give it up" he sneers.

"Never!" Alita shouts, baring her teeth at him. "Have it your way" he grins maliciously, waving his hand in an order to attack. Alita is bombarded from all sides as she starts defending herself and Leanne. Blood and carnage fly as she relives one soldier after another of their lives. She is wounded in turn, her movements getting sluggish as she becomes exhausted. Just barely able to stand, Alita is rushed by two soldiers who take a hold of each of her arms. Unable to resist, she loses the grip on her knife and sags a bit, watching as the man walks over.

"That was a good performance. But nothing can stop me from getting what I want" he gloats, pacing in front of her. He waves again and several soldiers go over to Leanne, picking her up. "No!" Alita gasps and tries to struggle. She didn't care how tired or worn out she was, she just had to stop them from taking Leanne. "So you do have some fire left in you" the man grins, turning his attention back to Alita. "I'm sure I can find a use for you. Take her away" he waves the soldiers off, bending to pick up Alita's knife and tuck it in his belt.

Alita growls, trying to get her limbs to work, to do anything that might hinder the soldiers as they drag her along. Nothing helps, and the grip on her arms becomes bruising as the soldiers manhandle her through the forest. She doesn't know how long they drag her, but she ends up at an unused altar with a broken archway as the entrance. Inside, she is thrown to the ground unceremoniously and then bound. As soon as she is made immobile one of the soldiers takes his sword and bashes the hilt into her head, effectively knocking her out.

When Alita becomes aware again, the sounds of battle assault her ears. She can't tell how far away it is, only that it sounds right outside and it's doing nothing for the massive headache making itself known. Groaning Alita turns over, grunting at the stiffness in her limbs. She manages to get up into a sitting position just as her captor comes screeching in. "This is all your fault!" He puts a well placed kick in Alita's side, toppling her back over with a groan. "If it wasn't for you, those mercenaries would have never caught up and would still have that heron!" Another kick connects with her stomach, knocking her breath away. Gasping for air Alita turns a fiery glare towards her tormentor.

"It's not my fault you're incompetent" she wheezes and spits at him. The glob of saliva lands on one of his boots and Alita is satisfied to see his face begin to change colors, ending in an interesting mottled red and purple. "I'll just extract my losses from your flesh!" he growls, kicking Alita under the chin and snapping her head back. She hisses at the pain, the metallic taste of blood filling her mouth from where she bit her tongue. Spitting again, Alita rolls back on her side and lets loose a scream of fury. That man will not survive the day, especially once she gets free.

With renewed determination, Alita forces herself back up into a sitting position and starts working on the bindings on her ankles. Her fingers refuse to cooperate, stiff from the lack of blood circulation and the chill of the forest. Despite her best efforts, the knots refuse to give and Alita releases another scream of frustration. Then she can hear the sounds of battle get closer. Thinking that someone might be able to hear her, she yells for anyone to help her. All she succeeded in doing is attracting a soldier who roughly gagged her. He's almost to the entranceway before stopping as if he forgot something. Then he turns around and marches back over to Alita, clubbing her head again. Alita immediately slumps over as blackness washes across her vision.

Alita comes to a second time that day with a pounding headache. Her fury at the man and his soldiers only adds to the throbbing dancing around her skull, and she hopes he is still somewhere nearby for her to mutilate. As soon as she groans in reaction to a particular spike, voices are made known in the area and getting closer to her. Unable to focus completely just yet, she kicks out with her feet at the presence she feels near her and is satisfied to hear a yelp.

Before she can register what's happening, someone has picked her up. Outraged she begins squirming and cursing the guy as best she can through the gag. His grip tightens on her, which only makes Alita believe she is being restrained and redoubles her efforts. Somehow his voice cuts through the fog of her mind in soothing waves. As her breathing comes under control the scent of brine and wind make itself known, and there's only one person Alita knows that smells like this. Looking up she is greeted with the sight of the hawk king, whose only focus is getting her over to the group.

Once Alita is set down, the bindings on her hands and feet are cut and she is able to rip the gag off. Rubbing circulation back into her limbs she looks around and notices the wind mage she fought before, along with the blue haired beorc that seems to be in charge, the hawk king and his retainers and other warriors she doesn't recognize. Spotting the flashes of gold and white, Alita ignores everything else and hurries over to Leanne to make sure no harm had befallen the heron.

"Leanne! Are you alright? They didn't hurt you did they?" She gives an airy, musical laugh as she shakes her head. "No, no. I'm fine. Ike here came just at the right time. I owe him, and you, my thanks." Alita shakes her head, "No thanks is needed." Leanne gives a little smile and nods again. Alita then looks around for Ike to see if he, or any of his group, found her knife. She is interrupted by the call of her name.

"Nesela?"

Turning around Alita sees both Reyson and Tibarn looking at her. Sighing softly to herself, she faces them. "My real name is Alita."

"So you got your memories back?"

"That's good news." Alita nods, "I think the wandering in the forest helped jolt the memory somehow." Taking this moment as they process the information, Alita slips away and finds Ike with some of his mercenaries. Going over to him she clears her throat to get his attention. "Did you get a knife from the fat man?" He takes a moment to process the request, then blinks in recognition. "Oh yeah, here." Alita takes the knife, the knot of worry finally releasing as she slips it back in the sheath on her side. "Thank you."

Ike doesn't get a chance to respond before Reyson and Leanne are leading everyone over to a large building cut out of a rock. They float up to the top of it and face each other across a chest. Alita's not sure what the chest is there for, but figures it must be part of what they are about to do. Leanne clasps her hands in a symbol of prayer, then Reyson holds his palms up as if beseeching before he starts singing. Leanne joins in soon after and their voices meld together so perfectly that it almost hurts the heart.

In response to their song, a golden light bursts forth from the chest and the two herons, spreading through the trees. Each thing the light touches becomes living again, turning the dull and murky forest into a vibrant and welcoming place. As soon as the light washes over Alita, she starts to feel weird. Looking around she notices that no one else is affected, so decides to leave the immediate area and be away from the group.

She manages to make it behind some trees before she starts coughing, and is surprised to see blood on her hand. Alarmed, Alita goes into another coughing fit before a wave of pain sends her to her knees. She grits her teeth and groans, refusing to cry out and ruin what the herons are doing. Ragged breaths escape Alita as she is released from the pain, body shaking in its wake. Almost immediately after another wave hits her and sends her to the ground, whimpering. Alita claws at the ground, the new sprung grass tearing in her grip as she fights the fire burning through her.

Vaguely Alita notices the singing has stopped, but is soon wracked with another coughing fit where more blood comes up. Moments go by as she regains her breath, and then her muscles seize up. As soon as they seize, they release and go through a series of spasms, eliciting an ear piercing scream from Alita as hot tears roll down her cheeks. Several pairs of feet surround her but she can't hear anything due to the ringing in her ears.

Unable to do anything but curl around herself, Alita shakes and trembles and claws at her clothes that now hurt to wear. Another scream is torn from her throat when the burning focuses into one point on her back. She can feel her skin bulge, slowly separating along an unknown seam. Blood begins to soak her shirt, making it cling to and choke the other wounds. Suddenly the appendages burst forth from her skin, tear through her shirt and snap open with a spray of blood, as if they have always been just under the skin.

Alita's vision starts to go spotty, threatening to black her out when a wave of cool energy washes over her. She sighs in relief, feeling the pain and fatigue cleansed and the gaping wounds knit themselves back together. Her muscles start responding to commands she gives them and she wipes her face of her weakness. She forces herself to stand, avoiding twisting and turning as much as possible. "Are you alright...?" comes the hesitant voice in the sudden silence. Alita looks up at the group that has surrounded her, all with different faces of shock or wonder. And they all keep looking back at what's behind her. Her wings.